Posted on 08/11/2015 7:47:19 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Donald Trump is all but accusing a top Republican pollster of trying to shake him down.
After the presidential debate on Thursday night, Fox News featured a focus group conducted by Frank Luntz that utterly slammed Trump. On Monday, Trump told Business Insider that he thought he was panned by Luntz's group because he declined to hire Luntz's research firm.
"This has been going on, he's putting the arm on me all the time, and then he does these polls that are totally in violation of every other poll that was done," Trump said of Luntz.
Trump said post-debate polls that show he remains ahead of the GOP field prove the focus group was wrong. He further described Luntz, a regular contributor to Fox News and one of the country's best-known conservative consultants, as "unfair" and "terrible."
"I watch this guy do a really negative report on me, and the only reason he did it, in my opinion, is because I didn't want to hire him commercially," Trump said of Luntz. "I think it's disgusting ... I think he uses his power at Fox to maybe to get work."
In a phone call with Business Insider, Luntz vehemently denied Trump's accusation.
"You've got to understand that I don't care who wins and loses I only care that I'm accurate," Luntz said. "Even if I say things that candidates don't like, I don't expect them to take it personally. I don't expect them to launch World War III."
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Frank Luntz is a slob.
And his Fox Debate focus group was a sham.
A set-up.
“I LOVE it. The fat toupee-headed RINO finally gets his comeuppance”
You are a weak-minded and wimpy individual if you think this article is a “comeuppance”.
No wonder the eGOP caves so easily at the first hint of opposition, you are the typical eGOP member.
I forget ......on this site the GOP is the enemy and Obama and the Democrats get a free ride.
The more people try to unfairly smack down Trump the stronger he becomes.
Megyn claims her questions were good journalism but he attacked her personally. I don’t see how she can be so blind as to not see that her question was a personal attack and all he was doing was trying to say she was out to get him. She was.
Perfect!!
Stand in the Middle of the Road, you get run over.
Wrong, again....GOPe, 0, and the Dims. One and the same.
Are you defending the GOPe?
I tend to agree with you. If you can pay a group to conclude that you won, and further to lend the cachet of “science” to their judgment—more power to you.
Trump’s got plenty of science.
Snicker.... This is about truth in advertisement. The foxes advertised they were holding a debate. They invited 10 individuals to supposedly participate.
There was no debate. This was an attempted high tech lynching of the supposed leader in all the supposed polls. Ronald Reagan would have been treated as bad or worse in this situation. Media whores controlling politics for those who buy and sell politicians.
Huh? Because I can't stand the fat gasbag Frank Luntz that makes me "eGOP"?
And this type of crap is supposed to help Trump how? Trump is looking for pity?
Luntz was part of the hit on Trump. He was in on it from the beginning, and did his piece after the debate ended. Just like it backfired with the debate moderators, it will backfire with him. Only, he is red-meat and expendable and will get cast to the wolves. Trump should have him for lunch.
Luntz is an idiot.
Sadly have to agree with Trump on this one.
The Luntz focus groups are an exercise in “the Phil Donahue show” group think.
His results are meaningless and rarely mesh with actual polling.
Fox should fire this guy. He is almost as bad as Dick Morris and his awful predictions and “make it up as you go along” commentary.
You've got it backwards. Trump is a lot closer to Reagan than any other candidate this year. Reagan fought the Republican establishment and Trump is also.
George Will said some of the same sort of dismissive and insuilting things about Reagan as he's saying about Trump. Reagan was also a renegade damaging he party.
Sorry, I thought you were talking about Trump. You weren’t specific.
I have to say, I am getting tired of hearing Donald whine every day of the week.
Trump doesn't have a toupee. He actually let a woman in NH who asked put her hands through his hair...
“The cheer leading section for Trump at FR is simply juvenile.”
At least we have something and someone to cheer about, and who champions us, what we are thinking and have been talking about on FR for years. Trump says it out loud in public.
Who are you cheering about? Who excites you, or, in the reverse, who besides Trump amongst the 17 are exciting? Who brings in 24 million people to watch a Republican primary debate? Who of the 17 brought in this audience, hmmmm?
Juvenile? How paternal of you, or is it maternal? How elitist of you, as you look down your snobby nose at the rest of us juveniles. Are you real pleased with yourself up there on your lofty perch?
Trump, although incredibly wealthy, doesn’t look down his nose at Main Street - he champions us. Trump is not a creature of Wall Street or K Street. Trump is not a corporatist. He’s on our side. And he’s a fighter. And he wants to win. So, I’m for the juveniles of Free Republic. We are legion.....
This was supposed to be a debate and they purposely turned it into a circus. IMO they did it to preempt Trump and try to steal his thunder. They're playing by the old rule book but Trump changed the rules. There is more to learn about the press and the power structure behind it than anything else in this.!
You're right. I didn't. Sorry to all for any confusion.
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